what exactly made a famous quote, famous? was it the person who said the quote or was it the quote the person said?
and example of this would be…
1) The tongues of dying men enforce attention like deep harmony.
William Shakespeare, Richard II, II.1.5-6
or for those who study mathematics…
2) Archimedes of Syracuse (298-212 B.C.)
“Wait 'till I have finished my problem!”
a simple question, but what is the answer?
I’d say it’s the quote itself. Not everything said by a famous person becomes famous, yet not all famous quotes were said by someone famous. There’s a lot of famous sayings that are in fact anonymous, usually found on those flimsy bookmarks that they sell at the counter in bookshops. I’m going with the quote.
QUOTATION!
TO QUOTE IS A VERB 
ahem rant over.
Yeah, pretty simple really, it’s the quotation itself that makes it famous. The reason shakespeare has so many famous quotations is because most of what he wrote was true genius. Perhaps it helps to be famous in order for people to hear what you say so that they get written down as famous quotations. American Presidents are a good example of this. However, it is only select phrases these famous people have said which become famous quotations which suggests it is the quotation that makes it famous, rather than the person.
just something about Shakespeare, there is theory that all of Shakespeare’s plays were actually written by Christopher Marlowe after his ‘death’ which has alot of the hallmarks of being very dodgy if not faked. it is probably faulse, but it is impossible to disprove it entirely and many people have tried but found there is nothing to disprove it.
well ben i have to admitt that there is a matter of truth in what you say.
thanks for clearing up a rather simple question
well ben i have to admitt that there is a matter of truth in what you say.
thanks for clearing up a rather simple question
i believe it is both. You said “famous quote” for it to be famous many would have to hear it. And for people to repeat it is must have truth to it.
Tyler wrote:
“Hail Hitler, Jews are animals, lower forms of human beings, the laws should be different towards them”
Are the slogans of totalitarian regimes that are repeated by its citizens true? Even if the people saying them believe in them, which in many cases is the case.
How about myths.
good point… in that case the quote must stand out in some way… often times through the illusion of truth, but if you are out to find counter exsamples you could say that funny quotes are often repeated but that is off the point.
Ultimately, I think we are speaking of influence.
i agree with BMW… a quote will never make someone famous, but someone famous will always have a quote…
i was reading a book published in brazil by a famous writer with 12,000 quotes from anyone in the course of history/now a days.
there were quotes of famous thinkers/writers like Wilde, Machado de Assis, Nietzsche, Kafka, Dostoyevsky together with an actress that said “i love mankind” and “people are so nice!”… 